Rangers to 'Paint the Place Pink' for charity

The Marquette Rangers are partnering with Marquette General Hospital and the Marquette General Foundation on a fundraiser to benefit the Marquette General Cancer Center.

The effort will culminate on October 25 with a "Paint the Place Pink" home game at Lakeview Arena, when the Rangers will wear customized pink jerseys that will be auctioned off at the end of the game.

Unveiled at a press conference at Lakeview Arena on September 27, several of the jerseys will be on display at locations throughout Marquette County until the October 25 game and auction.

"We're very excited about partnering with the Rangers, not only to raise money for the Cancer Center, but also to raise awareness about the importance of mammograms and early detection of breast cancer," said Terry Reser, Marquette General Cancer Center program director. "October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we're building our annual awareness campaign and mammography discounts around the pink jerseys. It's a great way for the whole community to be involved."

"The Marquette General Foundation greatly appreciates the involvement of the Marquette Rangers and the Upper Mic¬higan community in the fight against cancer," said Dr. Daniel Arnold, president of the Board of the Marquette General Foundation. "The funds raised will help defray the costs of the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer for patients from the Upper Peninsula. We are excited to be part of this partnership."

Rangers representative Mark Evans said the idea grew from a game last year in Fargo, N.D., and it's already generating a buzz among the Rangers organization.

"We're aware of a couple of groups who are pooling their money and planning to bid on specific players' jerseys in honor of family members, friends and co-workers who are breast cancer survivors," said Evans. "The minimum bid for a jersey will be $100 and we think some of the bids may go pretty high."

Evans noted that the pink shirt concept has already taken on a life of its own.

"Thanks to Lorrie Hayes, who is a breast cancer survivor and a local T-shirt printer, we're also offering Paint the Place Pink T-shirts that anyone can purchase for $12," said Evans. "We'd like to see these pink shirts all over the U.P. during the next few weeks, so we can raise even more money for the Cancer Center and truly paint the whole region pink."

Paint the Place Pink T-shirts can be purchased from the Marquette General Hospital gift shop, at the Screened Image in Downtown Marquette, the Marquette General Foundation office, or online at the Marquette General Foundation website at http://www.mgh.org/foundation/. For secure ordering online, click on the "Online Donation" form"and specify "Pink T-shirt, quantity, and size S, M, L, XL or XXL" in the comments section.

The T-shirts will also be available at the October 25 Rangers game at Lakeview Arena in Marquette.